Shelagh McDonald was born in Edinburgh in 1948, and grew up in Glasgow, where she later attended art school. Her two albums for B&C Records came out in 1970 and 1971, and Stargazer is the second, produced like the first by Sandy Roberton.

The sessions, held in the first half of 1971, brought in players from the Fairport Convention and Pentangle circle, among them Richard Thompson, Danny Thompson and Dave Mattacks, while Robert Kirby, known for his work with Nick Drake, wrote string and piano arrangements. The songs move between intimate guitar pieces, a long reading of the traditional ballad Dowie Dens Of Yarrow and orchestrated numbers such as Odyssey and the title track, with McDonald's clear, warm voice always in front.

Shortly after the record was released she disappeared from music, following a bad LSD experience, and only resurfaced in 2005. The album has since become a reference point of British folk rock from that period.

Japanese CD reissue by Belle Antique in a mini LP sleeve replica with obi, Japanese liner notes and a miniature replica of the original LP sleeve, SHM-CD, digitally remastered, with 9 bonus tracks including alternate versions, a demo and false starts.